Players have fast guns, want cheap paint. That usually translates into bounces, then into overshooting "to get paint to break". Getting overshot usually leads to more people wanting to protect themselves, meaning more padding, then more bounces, then more overshooting.
Kind of a dumb circle. If the people want to spend the $ on a fast gun/hopper combo, spend the $ for decent paint. You'll actually shoot less, because it will break on target quicker than the cheap bounce paint.

Nobody seems to get that though, or people just like to shoot the piss out of players and wonder why not as many return to the game. The cost of paintball isn't what is wrecking the sport, it's the asshats that shoot up people for no reason.

If you ask me, and I had my way- we would honor bounces. Someone fired, and hit you even at a distance (shows ability to aim, or just plain lucky if not firing ropes) and those that break would be just an additional layer of verification.

Relying on the break is one's acceptance of a lowest common denominator and even then, there's different interpretations of 'break'. Some rules specify quarter, nickle or dime sized marks while others simply say 'if it hit and breaks'.

In this current situation, I will not knowingly call myself out on a bounce as I know the majority of my opponents do not do the same. Some of them even jumping and yelping before turning to shoot at me (after I shot them from behind) without checking themselves...

Why the Hell do we have paint, in a game called paintball, if actually putting paint on an opponent is irrelevant?

Paintball without paint is called 'airsoft'. Paint is a part of our game.

We have paint *for a reason*.

Furthermore, how the Hell does calling out on bounces encourage people to buy better paint?! If breaks don't matter, then THERE IS NO POINT IN BUYING PAINT THAT BREAKS PROPERLY.

HELLO? IS THIS THING ON?

__________________

Quote:

He posts videos of himself on Youtube never leaving the furthest back bunker.
Even when playing against rental noobs, he is immobilized.
Logic and reason are anathema to him; but this does not deter him from prattling on.
He is the most interesting player in the world.

Why the Hell do we have paint, in a game called paintball, if actually putting paint on an opponent is irrelevant?

Paintball without paint is called 'airsoft'. Paint is a part of our game.

We have paint *for a reason*.

Furthermore, how the Hell does calling out on bounces encourage people to buy better paint?! If breaks don't matter, then THERE IS NO POINT IN BUYING PAINT THAT BREAKS PROPERLY.

HELLO? IS THIS THING ON?

I agree, paint is part of paintball.

I did not say calling out on a bounce encourages people to buy better paint.

If I'm playing open play, and there is a large rental group/birthday party and they shoot and bounce me. I'll call out. They shot me with a rental gun, with a paintball they might of picked up off the ground (they're told not to, but c'mon, they still do it). If I'm the only person they shoot all day, at least they have a good memory from the day.

The paint mark confirms a hit. This helps reduce instances of cheating where a hit player chooses not to recognize the hit. If players are honorable the confirmation isn't necessary.

The game has changed over the years and so have the rules, not always for the better.

Well, this is where the definition diverges, and people kind of just need to come to grips with it. All this self-congratulatory "honor" talk that keeps popping up, and even worse, paint snobbery, is besides the point. So let me try again, in typical futile fashion.

Some people consider the basis of the game to just hit your opponent.

Some people consider the basis of the game to actually put paint on your opponent.

We are engaged in a sport -- a stylized version of "something else". Thus, we have things in our sportified version that might not make sense, like a player being eliminated even if the gun is "hit", or if he holds out a branch, and that branch is "hit".

When in doubt: CHECK THE RULES.

"Honor", "buying good quality paint", "buying quality equipment", "closing properly on your opponent", etc., are irrelevant if you can't come to grips with the rules.

__________________

Quote:

He posts videos of himself on Youtube never leaving the furthest back bunker.
Even when playing against rental noobs, he is immobilized.
Logic and reason are anathema to him; but this does not deter him from prattling on.
He is the most interesting player in the world.

I'm playing a game for fun rather than a sport to win. I respect an opponent who acknowledges a good shot whether the paint breaks or not. Such a player is worthy of my respect and thus honorable.

The rules of the game we play vary depending upon participants and dogma. There are other ways of eliminating a player than breaking paint in many games. A barrel tag doesn't break paint. A training knife doesn't break paint. A surrender breaks no paint. I play by the rules of the game but if a player makes a clean shot on me that doesn't break I still call myself out. I hope my opponents see the honor in that but if they don't that's ok too.

I've wandered pretty far from the OP's question but I think it ties in. A player that uses bounce padding in the hope of exploiting a technicality in the rules is IMHO dishonorable. If the player just want's to avoid bruises I have no objections.